


bitter yet sweet

by Hell_bent



Category: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Noir being a dad friend, Rejection, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-04
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-11-09 02:24:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17993060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hell_bent/pseuds/Hell_bent
Summary: Peter is rejected by Mary Jane--again. Noir helps him to pick up the pieces, perhaps in more ways than one.





	1. Chapter 1

Noir had seen many sad sights in his life. He had witnessed many people at their wit’s end, villains who managed to tug at his heart despite their actions against humanity, victims of crime he had failed to save in time. But somehow, in spite of all he had seen in his years as a hero, Peter sitting with his head nestled in his hands and empty bottles at his feet took the cake. Maybe it was his familiarity with the other man, or knowing what he had been through-no matter the reason, he knew he couldn’t just leave him like that. Not as a hero, but as a decent human being, it was his duty to help him.

If only his tongue didn’t feel as heavy as lead in his mouth.

“Hey there,” he winces at the words, said in the warmest voice he can muster. He sounded like he was trying to act as some sort of parental figure, and that was probably the last thing Peter needed right now.

Said man doesn’t respond, only grumbles into his palms, a sound that told Noir to leave him be-but also told him to stay. It was all the encouragement he needed to take a few steps forward, settle down onto the cold concrete steps beside him, the city lights not reaching them on this shadowed street corner. The usual bustle of night life barely registered in either of their ears.

Noir wasn’t inexperienced in comforting people; it was like a talent to him, coming naturally and strongly. He had always chalked it up to being a hero, to the want to help people. Even he knew that sometimes you didn’t need to wear a cape to save someone.

But here, he felt out of his element. He kept fumbling for something to say, something reassuring, but failed time and time again. His mouth opened and closed behind his mask, but inevitably fell shut, turning away to stare down at the side-walk underneath their feet. What could he say to a man who had lost his wife twice?

“I’m sorry,” is all he can decide on, the only thing that seems the least bit appropriate in this situation.

“Me, too.”

His heart sinks at the husk of his voice, trembling, probably from the weight of tears he wanted to cry but no longer could. When he finally looks up, his eyes are glossy, looking but not truly seeing anything, red tinting the edges. He was stuck in his own mind, and Noir wanted to help him get out of it.

“Come on, champ. I think you need some rest.”

Surprisingly, unlike he thought he would, Peter simply nods dully, probably not even listening to what he said but going along nevertheless. When they stand up, he falters, nearly falling over before Noir gently catches him by the arm, pulling it to rest around his shoulders and helping the younger man to walk back to his apartment. Hopefully the slurred directions he gave him wouldn’t get them lost.

* * *

 

Noir had forgotten how beautiful the colors were in the other dimensions, even though they were somewhat faded and incorrect with his colorblindness. Walking through the city, Peter stumbling and jostling him, he couldn’t help getting caught up in all the sights, wanting to take in as much as he could before he had to leave back to his own monochrome city. He loved it, enjoyed protecting it and it’s people, but sometimes it got so dull. He never thought it would, but hopping between dimensions was actually quite entertaining.

Finally they reached the apartment, pausing at the door as Peter fumbled around in his coat pocket, searching for his keys and hissing curses under his breath the whole time. Once they got in, Noir dumped him onto the couch. The springs squeaked under the sudden weight as the man dropped rather ungracefully with a grunt, throwing an arm over his face to shield his eyes from the dim light that illuminated the room when Noir turned on a nearby lamp.

He takes a moment to look around the apartment, Peter’s groans overpowering the muffled sound coming from the streets outside. It wasn’t the neatest, large boxes stacked atop each other like he had just moved here, although it had actually been at least a month. From what he could see of the kitchen, it was in the same state of disarray. Dirty dishes clogged the sink and Chinese take-out boxes littered the counters. Fighting against the urge to clean up and make things look half decent, he finds his way to the bathroom, rummaging through the cabinet behind the mirror for some sort of pain-killers and eventually finding them.

Pills in hand, he returned to the living room, only to find Peter with the neck of yet another bottle in hand.

“Hey, now, don’t you think you’ve had enough?”

The younger man only gives him a glare with ‘go fuck yourself’ written all over it before taking a swig, then regretting it as the taste registered on his tongue.

Noir sighs, reaches out to take the bottle from him. Peter makes a halfhearted swipe for it, groaning and whining in a slurred voice, obviously annoyed but too drunk and disheveled to really make much of an effort. It would have been amusing if not for the circumstances.

While he sits on the couch and grumbles, Noir makes his way to the kitchen, putting the alcohol away and filling a glass with water. Then he comes back to his friend’s side, takes a seat next to him, handing off the water and pills. He gives him what he takes as a clumsy attempt at a ‘thank you’ before taking the medicine.

With that, they fall into a peaceful silence.

The older hero ends up taking his mask and hat off at some point during it, dark brown hair falling free over his forehead. He’s caught off guard when Peter starts laughing beside him, turning to face him with a confused look, suddenly very aware of how flushed the other’s cheeks were.

“What?”

He waits patiently until he’s calmed down to simple giggles.

“You look dumb with just your goggles on.”

Noir blinks at that. As much as he wants to roll his eyes, ignore him and his breath stinking of whiskey, he can’t help the amused smile that pulls at his lips. He knows he doesn’t mean it in his current state.

“Well, I wouldn’t be able to see otherwise.”

Then, as if he just had an epiphany, Peter’s face sobers, a surprisingly serious expression now on his face. Noir worries, for a moment, that he had upset him somehow. Then, once again, he surprises him.

“You’re pretty hot, though.”

He doesn’t even blink this time, eyes widening instead, a blush creeping up on his cheeks to the tips of his ears, threatening to dip down along the back of his neck. He’s flustered, puzzled, unsure how to reply.

Luckily he doesn’t have to, because Peter is already slumped against the back of the couch, arm over his face again. He’s relieved that he doesn’t have to figure out how to respond, especially since he’ll probably forget all about it tomorrow. But, with one look at his watch, he decides it’s probably long time to get Peter to bed and to get himself back to his own universe.

“Okay, big guy, we should probably get you to bed.” he announces, making to stand.

“Yeah,” the blonde agrees beside him, “sleep sounds nice. But I need to do something first.”

He opens his mouth to ask what he was going to do, only managing a small noise before another set of lips are on his, the rest of his question lost into the warmth of Peter’s mouth.

His mind races, trying to understand what was happening as Peter moves against him, shuffling forward until they’re close enough that he can feel the heat radiating off of him. He knows it isn’t right, especially when he can taste the alcohol, and yet he can’t bring himself to tear away, eyes even slipping closed and a hand pressing up against the other man’s chest but not pushing him away. He feels weak at the small moan that vibrates from the other’s throat.

“Peter--”

When they pull apart, they’re both panting, hot breath mingling. Then Peter’s on him again, this time moving more frantically, hands pulling Noir closer with a hard grip, squishing their bodies together. This time Noir keeps his control, pushes him away.

“Stop.”

He struggles against him, trying to resume, but eventually stops under Noir’s hard gaze. Instead he slumps over, defeated.

Wordlessly, tension in the air, Noir helps him to his feet, placing his arm back around his shoulders and walking him to the bedroom at the end of the hall. This time he doesn’t even notice how messy it is, or how the bed isn’t made, only focused on how his lips are tingling and how differently Peter’s body feels against his now.

The blonde flops down onto the bed and makes a sound not too unfamiliar from a cat’s purr, wasting no time in getting comfortable, curling up despite still being dressed in his tuxedo. Noir curses the warmth that unwillingly blooms in his chest, pushing it down as he pulls the covers up over his friend, softly smiling before he turns, making his way back towards the hall.

“Good night, sleep well.”

But he’s only met with soft snoring.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noir is still thinking about that night. As he's having his brooding session, Peter comes in to turn it all around, and unknowingly they save each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all for the reads and the comments!! i didn't expect this story to get this much attention, but i really do appreciate it!!

City lights lit up the night sky, flashing bright words that Noir couldn’t understand. The stars glimmered in and out, small dots against a vast blanket of black, the lack of color reminding him of his own universe. A flash of homesickness churns inside his stomach. As much as he enjoyed experiencing all these different dimensions and saving the day with his companions, he still longed for his home, as plain and colorless as it was. It was his own, and he had vowed to protect it when he gained his powers.

The ache inside him is nursed with the nicotine taste of a cigarette, smoke slipping from the corners of his mouth and spiraling up into the air. His eyes sting, both from the cold night and unshed tears.

He feels like a lovesick fool. His thoughts are tainted, haunted by someone he couldn’t have. He felt like he should have been better than this; he was a grown man, not some teenager in a movie. Yet he was still here, looming over the city with thoughts once again wandering back to that night. It had been months, but he could still feel the warmth against his lips. If he focused hard enough, he could almost taste the alcohol.

But that’s all it was: a drunken mistake. It was just a man seeking solace after heartbreak, nothing more. Noir knew this—but his heart insisted on twisting it into something else, something with more meaning than that. At his core, he was a romantic.

He takes another drag, this time letting it linger, taking it in before blowing out. Down below, people rush to their destinations, car horns blaring and the chatter of citizens mingling together.

All Peter would ever see is Mary Jane, a woman who had rejected him and his attempt to make amends. Noir thought it was unfair, wished it was him he was thinking about, but he knew it was never going to happen. If he had to guess, the other man probably didn’t even remember what had happened between them, seeing it as just something his mind had made up when he was drunk.

He blinks away the tears forming, filling up his lungs again in frustration, and wills away the hurt in his chest. There’s a lump in this throat.

Then his self-pity party is interrupted by the click of the door behind him opening.

“There ya are,” the voice makes his heart skip a beat, but also drop into his stomach at the same time. “Left the party to brood, huh?”

He doesn’t turn to face Peter right away, but he knows he can’t try and ignore him. Eventually he gives in, turning his back to the city to face the one he had more or less been avoiding, suddenly feeling vulnerable without his mask or hat. His face was left to the scrutiny of the other.

Peter huffs through his nose when Noir doesn’t respond, shutting the door and stepping forward to stand beside him, looking down at the city in all it’s glory. Meanwhile Noir couldn’t stop staring at him out of the corner of his eye, admiring him despite the disheveled state he was in, unshaven and dressed in baggy clothes. According to Miles, he was better than last time MJ dumped him—but not by much. At least his dad belly wasn’t coming in yet, surprisingly.

Noir drops his cigarette, crushes it beneath his foot despite only being half-way through it. It was more out of courtesy of Peter’s nose than anything.

“Have you been alright?” he asks, just to break the awkward silence. He can see that things weren’t exactly well with him.

“I’m still here, aren’t I?” the blonde replies, sounding much older than he did a few minutes ago. But Noir had expected that much.

“Well, if you ever need somebody to talk to,” he starts, his confidence wavering. “I’ll be there.”

Peter sighs, runs his palm over his face, and for a moment Noir thinks he’s crossed a line. But the younger man slowly starts to confide to him, the floodgates opening as he rambles on about how he failed MJ, how he was an awful husband, how he should have been there; all the while Noir listens, never interrupting or stopping him. He just nods and gives him a shoulder to cry on—literally.

Sobs rack Peter’s body, hands tight as they grip onto the lapels of Noir’s coat, holding on like a lifeline. The muffled sounds and hiccups twists his heart, gloved hands coming up to settle on the other’s back as he cries. Noir’s mouth hangs open, but he can’t find the words, just like that night. But he quickly dismisses that thought. Instead he focuses on the moment at hand, as painful as it is to watch him like this.

Eventually the cries gradually turn to sniffling, but Peter’s forehead remains pressed against Noir’s chest, just underneath his chin. Only now does the black-and-white hero notice the closeness, kicking himself for the warmth that spreads across his face just afterwards. Luckily it isn’t long before Peter pulls away.

“Sorry.” he croaks quietly, rubbing at his wet eyes with the back of his hand, the other still holding onto the trench-coat.

“There’s no need to apologize.”

But Peter doesn’t meet his gaze, eyes lowered down towards his feet. As if moving on it’s own, Noir finds his hand reaching up and his forefinger and thumb catches his chin, forcing the other man to look up at him. His expression is bittersweet, alluring yet saddening all at the same time, the wet trails on his cheeks left by his tears glistening in the light. He looks beautiful in the most heart-breaking way.

Noir can’t help himself when he leans in, stopping just inches away from the other’s face, watching the way his eyes widen in surprise.

“May I?” he asks hesitantly, and it only takes Peter’s quick nod for him to connect their lips.

Instantly he could feel the sparks, enveloping his whole body, overtaking his chest. His arms snake around Peter’s shoulders, pulling him closer, Peter’s hands settling on his waist. Their mouths move against one another, soft but passionate, like they had all the time in the world. They were just savoring each other.

Their breaths are hot against each other’s faces once they part, foreheads pressed together, brown eyes boring into deeper brown ones.

“So, you kiss everyone you save?” Peter teases with a smirk unraveling on his face.

Noir is cut out of his staring at those words, eyebrows shooting up and a blush taking over his face. He clears his throat awkwardly.

“Oh, n-no, I can’t say that I do.” his eyes flicker away, embarrassed. Peter’s laughter only makes it worse.

When he opens his mouth to defend himself, he’s interrupted by the other man pulling him into another kiss. He would normally complain about how many surprise kisses he had pulled on him, but it would be a shame to stop before they had really begun. So he just kisses back, their forms illuminated by the lights of the city and the night sky above.

**Author's Note:**

> sorry if it sucks i'm trying my best aaa


End file.
